Recent Rereads
Sep. 16th, 2015 04:22 pmLong price quartet by Daniel Abraham
I've reread the first two, and need to find the second two.
The basic premise is one I really love. Full of geopolitics, it concerns a world where the major magic is the ability of some specialists "poets" from one nation to summon Andat, spirits of some concept like "stone made soft" or "not having seeds", who take humanoid form. In the past, these were summoned and released, but now they're running out, and each one captured is jealously saved for generations until it eventually escapes.
They typically give some economic advantage, eg. in mining or cotton trade. And are also a permanent threat of a weapon of mass destruction, if needed.
I love the introspection about the relationship between poet and andat, and what it means to be an andat, a completely created personality in a combination of the poet, the poet's expectation, and the concept.
Unfortunately, something about the writing just makes it hard to read for me. I suspect it's actually a good thing, rich writing, I just personally bounce off.
And the content of the plots sometimes feels a bit futile to me: people worrying that if they do X, the andat might be freed and the city impoverished, or if they do Y, the andat might be used as a weapon against a non-andat nation -- but it seems like they don't really have any control over that, so their decisions don't really matter. Which is realistic, but depressing to read.
Rothfuss: Name of the Wind & Wise Man's Fear
Kvothe is a stereotypical fantasy protagonist, young, brilliant, hot-headed, impulsive. Which can be a problem. But I love it when it explores or changes those expectations. When Kvothe actually devotes endless time to practising the things he's good at. When his impulsiveness is as bad as good. The subjects he studies at university which are not the most defining features of his magic (sympathy and Naming).
Sygaldry, where most of the narrative is spent, because he's thorough and meticulous, and earns respect from the gruff but firm and fair master Kilvin. And because it's where he can work to earn money.
And the passing mention of alchemy, which he's comprehensively awful at, and chemistry, which he likes but isn't good at.
A few other things bothered me. I love myth in fiction, and the way the creation story is still relevant to the plot now, and Kvothe's research to uncover more. But I'm frustrated by books I and II leaving out things which I feel ought to be common knowledge. Like, the dominant Tehlin church, I don't know relevant what it teaches to the true origin, but surely it ought to be known to Kvothe at this point? Before delving into the more mythological parts, shouldn't he be asking "this story I heard from Skarpi, does it sound like a precursor to the orthodox story, or not? does what it says about angels match tehlinism? does tehlinism mention aleph, iax, lanre in addition to encanis, or not?"
I've reread the first two, and need to find the second two.
The basic premise is one I really love. Full of geopolitics, it concerns a world where the major magic is the ability of some specialists "poets" from one nation to summon Andat, spirits of some concept like "stone made soft" or "not having seeds", who take humanoid form. In the past, these were summoned and released, but now they're running out, and each one captured is jealously saved for generations until it eventually escapes.
They typically give some economic advantage, eg. in mining or cotton trade. And are also a permanent threat of a weapon of mass destruction, if needed.
I love the introspection about the relationship between poet and andat, and what it means to be an andat, a completely created personality in a combination of the poet, the poet's expectation, and the concept.
Unfortunately, something about the writing just makes it hard to read for me. I suspect it's actually a good thing, rich writing, I just personally bounce off.
And the content of the plots sometimes feels a bit futile to me: people worrying that if they do X, the andat might be freed and the city impoverished, or if they do Y, the andat might be used as a weapon against a non-andat nation -- but it seems like they don't really have any control over that, so their decisions don't really matter. Which is realistic, but depressing to read.
Rothfuss: Name of the Wind & Wise Man's Fear
Kvothe is a stereotypical fantasy protagonist, young, brilliant, hot-headed, impulsive. Which can be a problem. But I love it when it explores or changes those expectations. When Kvothe actually devotes endless time to practising the things he's good at. When his impulsiveness is as bad as good. The subjects he studies at university which are not the most defining features of his magic (sympathy and Naming).
Sygaldry, where most of the narrative is spent, because he's thorough and meticulous, and earns respect from the gruff but firm and fair master Kilvin. And because it's where he can work to earn money.
And the passing mention of alchemy, which he's comprehensively awful at, and chemistry, which he likes but isn't good at.
A few other things bothered me. I love myth in fiction, and the way the creation story is still relevant to the plot now, and Kvothe's research to uncover more. But I'm frustrated by books I and II leaving out things which I feel ought to be common knowledge. Like, the dominant Tehlin church, I don't know relevant what it teaches to the true origin, but surely it ought to be known to Kvothe at this point? Before delving into the more mythological parts, shouldn't he be asking "this story I heard from Skarpi, does it sound like a precursor to the orthodox story, or not? does what it says about angels match tehlinism? does tehlinism mention aleph, iax, lanre in addition to encanis, or not?"